Life's Quest
by Link015
Summary: Sain had a quest. A most important quest. This quest was the most important quest in his entire life. This quest was one that would be remembered by people far into the future. What was the quest? This quest...was to get married with one of the girls!
1. Chapter 1: The Quest to End All Quests

Chris: Ahem, well, here's the next little canon coupling story. You know. Like Choices, but with a different character. And…Because of the people who voted, or not…It's Sain's turn to shine.

**Votes: **

Hector - 1 (Technically, it's not a vote, but his name was there.)  
Erk - 1  
Sain - 3

So the readers have spoken! So Sain it is. And because I just feel like it, Sain will be getting an ending for every eligible woman in the camp! Yep, yep. Enjoy! And just in case you don't know how the eligible women are…

**Eligible Women: **Lyn, Florina, Rebecca, Fiora, Priscilla, Serra, Farina, Ninian, Nino

**Ineligible Women: **Vaida (No chance.), Isadora (She's already too much in love with someone else, even _if_ they have supports.), Louise (She's married…), Lucius (He's a guy. Please, _please_ don't write any Sain x Lucius fics. I will hunt you and kill you. Well, not literally.), Karla (A toss-up, really. If enough people want it, read: 1, then I'll make one.)

Disclaimer: The fanfic contest I am holding will _not_ suck up your soul and cast it into the deepest pits of hell. And looking in my profile for the rules will _not_ send an army of vicious larvae to eat you from the inside out.

And I don't own Fire Emblem.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Quest to End All Quests**

"It is a beautiful day today, isn't it, Kent?" Sain breathed in the morning air, releasing it in a sigh of happiness. "My boon companion! Today is the day I embark on the quest to end all quests!"

"And what would that be?" Kent muttered tiredly. The two cavaliers had risen when dawn had broken for their morning routine and exercises. The orange-haired cavalier was in no mood to deal with Sain's bantering at this hour.

"It is my life's quest! Its purpose cannot be just given freely! You must guess first!" Sain said dramatically, looking at his friend.

"Sigh…Very well." Kent shrugged. "Uh…You'll remember where we're supposed to be patrolling?"

"Of course not!" Sain scoffed. "What kind of life quest is that?"

"Then…You're going to leave women alone for a month?"

Sain placed a hand over his heart. "Kent! How could you say such a thing? It is…_unthinkable_ that I would ever commit such a heinous deed!"

Kent smiled ruefully. "Yes…I guess it was too much to hope…"

"Now, my boon companion! You must continue guessing!" Sain said.

"Fine, fine…Uh…You're going to train until you can beat Wallace?"

"NO!" Sain bellowed. "Kent, Kent! You are so far off the mark, it scars me deep within my eternal soul! How can you, my boon companion, not know what my life's quest would be? It shames me to realize it!"

"Well…I _did_ have one other guess, but I was hoping it wasn't true…"

"What do you mean, my friend?" Sain looked at Kent questioningly.

"I mean that I would rather not see you undertake the quest I have in mind." Kent sighed. "But knowing you, it's probably true. Your life's quest is to hit on every girl in this camp, isn't it?"

"Very close, my partner! Very close!" Sain laughed and clapped his friend on his back. "But alas, I have already completed that quest! No!" Sain pointed to the sun. "My life's quest is to get married to one of these lovely ladies and be together with her forever!"

"Um…" Kent scratched his head. "That's noble and all…But do you think it's going to work? I mean…How are you going to settle down with just one girl? I would think you would marry all of them…Even though that's extremely frowned upon."

"My dear Kent….I can, and I will settle down with one girl! The girl with the beauty of the fragrant rose! The girl with the beauty of the rising sun! The girl with the charms of a…uh…a girl, I guess. The girl who is both energetic and demure!"

"Aren't you asking a little too much?" Kent cocked an eyebrow at his brown-haired friend. "After all, everyone would want a girl like that."

"That's why it is my life's quest!" Sain exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I have compiled a notebook filled with facts about our girls! And I can say that most everyone here has all of the attributes I seek, more or less!"

"Even Serra?"

"Even Serra!" Sain continued on his speech. "While she might lack in the…nicer aspects of a girl…She still retains some good qualities!"

"…I…see…" Kent said skeptically. "Who do you have in that book?"

"Everyone!" Sain said joyously. "It has taken me many, many days to compile this information!" He opened the notebook and pointed to the first page, which housed information on one of the girls, namely Priscilla. It truly was a marvel, complete with a hand-drawn portrait and information ranging from height and likes to breast size. Kent was slightly disgusted by the fact that Sain had somehow attained this information.

"How'd you get people's breast sizes? I didn't think you were that…bad." Kent wrinkled his nose.

"Oh, Matthew gave it to me. I asked him to help me dig up some information about them and he threw the sizes in as a bonus for some reason." Sain shook his head. "Matthew charged a lot, but I believe it's worth it! Although I still am confused as to how he got the numbers…"

---

_Three days ago_

Matthew walked up to Priscilla, smiling cheerfully. "Hey Priscilla! Can I ask you some questions?"

"Um…Sure." Priscilla looked quizzically at the thief.

"This is for an important survey that Lord Hector has charged me with." Matthew held up a piece of paper. "He says that I need to find out some important…figures in the army."

"Well…Why not?" Priscilla said.

"Um…Please don't hurt me for this…But I need to know your…ahem…breast size. Please don't hurt me!" Matthew cringed, shielding himself from the blows he knew would be coming. How he would know, you may ask? Well, that's because he already got hit by Lyn and Farina for asking. Strangely enough, they still gave him the number, but not before punching him in places that were best left unpunched. Like the head…The stomach…The kidney…The spleen…And that other place…

"Don't worry Matthew. I won't hurt you." Priscilla said reassuringly. "Of course…If Lord Hector gets hurt in battle…I might accidentally lose my staves…"

"Ah…Yes, I understand." Matthew nodded. "But…um…the number?"

"Oh…Right." Priscilla grabbed the sheet and wrote the number down. "There you go. Now time to see someone…" The red-haired troubadour left, muttering to herself.

Matthew watched Priscilla leave and breathed a sigh of relief. So far, his ploy of saying that it was for a survey was succeeding. He _still_ didn't know why they were giving him their breast sizes, but I guess they assumed it would be for a good enough cause.

"Eh, oh well. Sain's gonna pay me so much more for this information…I could retire and live my life out in glory…Heheheheh." Matthew chuckled to himself. Sometimes being a spy had more benefits than what met the eye. Namely blackmail. And of course, spying.

He could only hope that Hector would be too flabbergasted to realize it was probably Matthew that had done the whole thing.

_---_

"Uh huh…Right, well, good luck with your quest." Kent said, getting distracted by the information in the book. "Did Matthew get _all_ of that?"

"Yep! Well, other than some tidbits that I figured out by myself." Sain said, shutting the book. "Now, I must go on my quest!"

"Sain, we have morning watch! Nobody's awake at this time!"

"Oh…Right." Sain stopped himself. "Wait! I _do_ know someone who would be up at this time!" He brightened. "The lovely Fiora! She has the watch before us, right? So she should be awake waiting for us to relieve her!" Sain mounted his horse. "Come on, Kent! Away!"

"Sigh…Of all the people I had to be stuck with…" Kent muttered to himself as he mounted his horse and followed Sain.

_---_

"Took you guys long enough." Fiora said sourly. "I've been waiting for twenty minutes. I know I'm just a mercenary, but I'd like to be relieved in time."

Kent started to apologize, but Sain cut him off.

"I'm sorry, my lovely flower, but circumstances beyond my control wrested me away from your awaiting arms! It shames me in my very heart that I have left you out here in the cold without some way to warm you! If only my love could warm you just like it does to me!" Sain clasped Fiora's hand and kissed it.

"Uh…" Fiora slowly removed her hand. "Thank you…I guess…" She looked over Sain's head at Kent, who shrugged and sighed. "Well, just as long as you aren't late next time." Fiora walked away.

"I will never leave you alone again, my beautiful sparrow!" Sain said, waving his hand in farewell. "You will always stay in my heart!"

Kent smacked Sain on the back of the head. "Come on, Romeo, we've got a job to do."

"Right, my companion!" Sain leaped on his horse. "If only to protect the girls with the horrors of war, I shall patrol at my finest today!"

Kent sighed again and shook his head. Of all the people to be partnered with…

_---_

"Ah, that was a delightful patrol, wasn't it, my boon companion?" Sain said cheerfully.

"It was only beautiful because you saw three girls today…" Kent muttered under his breath.

"Not only did I spot the beauteous Fiora in the stables, I saw the lovely Farina, the demure Ninian, and the shy Florina! Elimine is truly with me this day!" Sain crowed happily. "It is a sign that I _will_ succeed in my quest today!"

"Sain!" Kent said exasperatedly. "We _always_ see Florina, Farina, Fiora, and Ninian when we go out on our rounds, remember?"

"Oh…But today they looked even lovelier! That truly is a sign of success!" Sain said as he leaped off of his horse.

"Sain, don't you think you're going a bit too fast? It takes time to get in a relationship-" Kent began.

"No time for small talk now, Kent! The day has started and my quest has just begun! I have my charm, my guts, and my notebook full of information! I cannot lose!" Sain lifted a fist into the sky. "Today is _my_ day! People will look back and see how great I truly am on this day! **Today!** Today, my quest shall be completed! I'm off!" Sain dashed out of the stables, his brown-hair flying behind him.

Kent put a hand up to his face and sighed. "Of all the people to be stuck with…"

* * *

Chris: Well, there you go! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll like all the endings! And don't forget, tell me if you want Sain to have an ending with Karla! And join my contest too!

Well, I'm done with my advertisements. Review please!


	2. Chapter 2: The Sword Mistress, Part 1

Chris: Ahem, well, here's a new chapter! I hope you all like it! And guess who the lucky girl is gonna be in this chapter!

Oh, and as a side note, this might not update as fast as usual because I'm getting more involved in my original fiction projects. This note is also known as a shameless promotion for said fics, as I want more people to read them. If you already have, then thank you and…uh…yeah, thanks. Have a point of…uh…happiness. Yeah. One happiness point. Get ten and I'll give you a prize.

**RLnaruhina: **Glad you like it, and I hope you enter! Cause, you know, there's only one person who has joined at the moment. So saddening.

**Eladard Kikur: **Well, for your enjoyment, the next chapter! Where Sain _doesn't_ try to marry all the girls…Cause that's just weird. Not even Sain could rig something like that up.

**zed21:** Sain/Rebecca is in fact a viable pairing and they get an ending together. Sain/Ninian is new. I hope you like it!

**Nightmare3: **Glad you like it, and hope you enjoy this fic!

**Green Paladin: **Well, you don't have to wait any longer! At least until you finish this chapter and wait for my lazy ass to update again.

**danyelldmd: **Naaaah…Sain can choose one. Or else he'd never get married. And that would be bad, cause Sain needs sons to carry on his legacy.

**Mullenium Master:** Well…Actually, some people have written Raven x Lucius. It's quite a popular yaoi pairing, so I don't bash it cause then I'd get slaughtered by fangirls. Sain x Lucius, however, I will destroy with every fiber of my being. _Especially_, if it's like…super-real pairing instead of light, not mean it pairing.

**Psie: **Yep. Kent likes his peace and quiet so he can think of new rules to enforce order in the army. And you will have to wait patiently no longer! At least until you finish the chapter.

**LoneWolfLink: **Glad you like it and thanks for the compliments.

**JSB: **Good luck with your fic.

**drunkdragon: **Nah…It'll be fun writing a chapter for every girl. Or in some cases, two. Or three…

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Sword Mistress, Part 1**

As soon as Sain set off, he was beset by the demons of doubt, uncertainty, and way too many beautiful girls in one spot. The brown-haired cavalier rubbed his chin thoughtfully, thinking of every girl that he had wooed.

'_There must be one that stands out from all the rest!' _Sain thought to himself. But even as he thought, he couldn't come up with the one girl that fulfilled that category. They all had their strong points and they all had their weak points. Sain groaned to himself miserably and shook his head to clear the thoughts. Then he perked up as an extraordinary idea popped into his head. "Since I love all the girls, it will all depend on the whims of fate to see who I shall marry! So therefore, the first girl I see shall be the one that I am destined to wed!"

Sain clapped his hands resolutely. "My fighting spirit has been ignited! It is the fickle threads of time that bind us together, my love! Now, for the completion of my quest!" The cavalier brushed his hair with his fingers and strolled into the main part of the camp, ready for anything that life would throw at him.

The first girl that Sain saw first, was, unfortunately, Vaida. "Eep…Fate, you truly are a cruel mistress." The brown-haired cavalier tugged at his collar, feeling nervous because so far, Vaida had been quite unreceptive to his advances. In fact, last time she tried to skewer him on her lance and feed him to her wyvern, Umbriel. Even now, Vaida glared at him, is if daring him to throw off one single compliment. _'Perhaps…Ah, I will assume Vaida has crossed the age boundary from girl to woman! Yes, so therefore, my vow is not broken if I do not consent to marry her!' _He quickly rushed off before Vaida could attack him again.

The next girl he saw, thankfully, was not currently hunting for his blood (Vaida), not married (Louise), not actually a guy in disguise (Lucius), and not currently pining for someone else (Isadora). The person he feasted his eyes on was Karla, one of the new recruits in the army. The sun's rays seemed to hit her perfectly, accentuating the contrast between her midnight-black hair and her sweet, pale skin. Her plain white robe only enhanced her natural beauty, emphasizing her curves. And that dark blue sash! Seeming to keep the robe together, revealing just enough to tantalize any man's mind! Karla was truly the essence of beauty personified. Sain _knew_ that Fate was at hand when she walked into his view.

Taking his chance, the green-armored cavalier grasped Karla's hand and kissed it daintily. "Oh, what marvelous things the Fates are to give me this chance to talk to you, my lovely flower, on this fine day! It is not only the will of the gods, but the will of my heart that enables me to be with you at this moment, for I am truly blessed!"

Karla's eyes widened with surprise. "Ah…Thank you…Sir Sain. I am sorry if my reaction doesn't suit you…But I am…unused to such compliments." She slowly slid her hand out of Sain's grip, although the cavalier was cheered to see that there was slight blush on her features.

Sain gasped dramatically. "How can such a beautiful creature like you not receive any affections or love? It is a shock to the very core of my soul that you do not know your own true beauty!"

"Ah…I'd better go." Karla muttered as she turned to walk away.

Sain took her hand again. "Is there any other way that I may talk to you, my dove? Alas, if it is my fate to never see you ago, I will toss aside that fate! I will do anything to glimpse your hair, your face, everything of you!"

Karla stared at the strange man in front of her. She was just a newcomer to this army, so not many people greeted her at first. Well, there was that weird thief who asked for her breast size…But he was just an anomaly. The sword mistress smiled gently at the unflappable man in front of her. He was…different, in a very unique way. "Very well…Meet me at mid-afternoon. I'll be waiting at the field. If you don't come, don't expect me to acknowledge your presence anymore." The black-haired woman left Sain, who saluted her.

"Faretheewell, o goddess of the night! I will wait hours, nay, days! Only of you, are my thoughts and feelings directed! To never see you again would be like a punishment worthy of the evilest dictators in the land! I will fulfill your requirement and be with you always!" The brown-haired cavalier dashed off, presumably to find some sort of gift.

Karla chuckled to herself. _'What a strange man…'_

_---_

When Karla arrived at the assigned meeting spot, she saw that Sain was already there, using a small knife to whittle away edges of a small block of wood. The brown-haired cavalier looked up from his activity and smiled broadly. "Ah, the sun rises in my eyes! Only a specter of true beauty could uplift the feelings in my heart!"

"Greetings to you as well, Sir Sain."

Sain scoffed at the mention of the title 'Sir'. "You do not need to call me sir, my beauteous rosebud! For one such as you, so deep within my heart, titles are unnecessary between us!"

"Very well, Sain. Did you bring a sword?" Karla said matter-of-factly.

"Uh…" Sain mumbled, looking confused. "Should I have?"

"Why yes." Karla looked around. "You see…I train my swordsmanship at this time. I was hoping to be able to train against you to strengthen my abilities."

"I…see…" Sain said. This certainly was not what he was expecting. He was a strong fighter, that was certain, but he wasn't sure that he should really fight against her. "May I ask why you train so much, my dear?"

"I'm…" Karla looked at the ground. "I'm searching for someone important…"

'_Ah shit…'_ Sain cursed mentally to himself. _'Probably some old flame…Perhaps Fate isn't that kind…'_

"I promised myself that I would find him someday…" Karla whispered, half to herself and half to Sain. "That is why I must get stronger…So I can meet him."

"Very well then!" Sain said confidently. _'Even if I can't be her husband…I can still help her out, right?' _He tucked the thing he was whittling into a small pocket and left to retrieve his sword. _'Sigh…Fate, you are a cruel mistress…'_

Karla waited patiently for him while he disappeared, humming a soft song to herself. Sain certainly was an interesting person, to say the least. But it was strange…He seemed to be unhappy when she said she was searching for someone. Surely he couldn't have been upset because he had feelings for her, right?

'_I only joined a couple of days ago…Right? It honestly couldn't be that. He doesn't think…Oh no…I really couldn't be that. I'm just searching for my brother…He doesn't think…'_ Karla thought worriedly. She didn't want to hurt Sain's feelings…The cavalier was kind of funny…Handsome too, now that she thought about it. Karla blushed lightly as the thought crossed her mind. She had only truly known him for less than a day, and she was already calling him handsome. It was embarrassing that it was happening to someone like her.

"Okay, I'm back!" Sain said cheerfully, holding a lightweight sword made out of iron. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting!"

"Uh…Sain?" Karla asked uncertainly.

"Yes, what is it?" Sain asked questioningly.

"The person I'm searching for…is my brother." Karla flushed and looked at the ground.

"Oh!" Sain's face brightened and a smile appeared. "Well then…I wish you the best of luck, my gorgeous blossom!" He held the sword up in front of him. "Are you ready? But please, don't go to hard on me. If you do that, I might get too deep into and accidentally mar your lovely skin! And that just won't do!"

Karla smiled slightly. She was happy that Sain was back to his normal self. "Very well. Perhaps we could just train with wooden swords instead?"

"Ah, brilliant idea!" Sain clapped his hands. "I will be right back!" He dashed off once again. The cavalier looked around rapidly. He was certain he had seen some people sparring earlier. Perhaps he could borrow their weapons.

Sain continued searching when he came across Hector and Eliwood sparring with wooden swords. "Ah hah! Success!" He strode over to the two and yoinked the weapons out of their hands. "Thank you very much! I will return them soon, my dear lords!" Sain headed back to Karla, Eliwood and Hector staring at him as if the cavalier was crazy.

"I have returned! I hope that you were not too broken up about my absence, you beautiful midnight goddess!" Sain crowed as he tromped back into the clearing, handing Karla one of the swords.

"Um…I don't think so…" Karla muttered, growing confused by the cavalier's attitude. "Do you really think that you being gone for a couple of moments would have bothered me?"

"Well…No…" Sain was slightly put off by her remark, but he recovered quickly. "But it never hurts to ask!"

"I see…" Karla said skeptically as she hefted the sword in her hand. "Now, let us begin! Prepare yourself!" She charged, swinging down at Sain's shoulder.

"Gah!" Sain quickly brought up his sword to counter and quickly repelled her attack. He returned the blow, only to find out that he was striking at thin air. The brown-haired cavalier quickly turned around to see that Karla was behind him, angling for another strike.

Sain's leaned back to dodge her second strike and swung his sword again, only to miss. Sain grunted to himself as Karla's wooden sword connected with his side. Granted, he had on armor, which absorbed most of the blow, but it still hurt a little. Cursing in his mind, he faced Karla, watching her warily. _'Grr…We have two completely different styles of fighting! Karla, the beautiful rose that she is, concentrates on hitting the enemy and confusing him with her speed. I, on the other hand, have quick, powerful strikes, yet I swing too wildly in order to connect!'_

"You fight very well! You prove that even the most beautiful of roses has its thorns!" Sain said.

"Why thank you." Karla returned. "You fight pretty well yourself." She prepared herself for another attack. "Hah!" She swung in a series of complicated strokes, moving too fast for Sain to see. He managed to deflect one and get out of the way of another, but the other strikes struck his armored body and he was knocked back away, panting.

While Karla was recovering from her move, Sain leapt back to the attack, swinging his blade roughly in a semicircle arc. His sword clacked against Karla's, breaking past her guard and earning a slight thwack to the side, which she quickly shrugged off. Sain followed up with another strike, with Karla managed to block, although it strained her muscles greatly to resist Sain's greater strength.

'_Suta-Raito!'_ Karla intoned to herself as she concentrated on the sword she was holding. Closing her eyes, she envisioned Sain in front of her and the five places where she would strike, forming a five-pointed star. _'Left leg!' _She swung, sneaking past Sain's guard and hitting it lightly. _'Head!' _She struck heavily, but her strike was deflected by Sain's sword and she jumped back before continuing the attack. _'Right leg!'_ Her sword flicked past the cavalier's defense. _'Left arm!'_ She attacked again. _'And finally, right arm!' _She jumped over Sain, swinging her sword behind her and sending her sword crashing against his right arm.

After she landed, Karla turned to see that Sain was still standing, smiling slightly and rotating his right arm. "What?" Karla looked incredulously at the cavalier. "I thought…"

"Skillful, my beautiful goddess! Very skillful indeed! However, I am familiar with the techniques practiced by the nomads of Sacae, my lord being one of them!" Sain smiled. "Let me return the favor!" He tensed his body, holding the practice sword horizontally in front of him.

'_Heavenly Reaper!'_ Sain said in his mind as he flew into the technique that their old instructor, General Wallace, had taught them. Of course, he also made it mandatory that they learn this technique, so they really had no choice as to whether or not they wanted to learn it. _'Dancing in the shadows…'_ He swung his sword heavily at Karla's right side, hearing it clack against her sword. _'The angel lies asleep…'_ Next, he spun around and attacked from the right, feeling slightly frustrated as it clacked against her sword again. _'The darkness awakens thou…'_ He jumped at attacked from the sky, pushing down on Karla's sword as it rose to block him. _'And thus the angel reaps!'_ As he landed, he charged her, elbow first. Because of the close proximity of the two, as well as the relative speed of the attack, he succeeded in this last attack, knocking Karla to the ground.

"Huff…" Karla struggled upwards, her muscles burning with exertion. So far, the both of them had suffered hard hits and the battle seemed to be one of attrition and stamina. _'It's just a training session…But I cannot lose! Tsukiakari!'_ Mustering up her strength, she rushed Sain, spinning in a circle as she did so, achieving an attack that cover a full three-sixty circle as well as attaining remarkable power because of the momentum.

Sain brought his sword to counter, but the moment Karla's blade hit his, the sword was knocked out of his grasp and he felt his right arm wrench in pain. _'Agh, dammit!'_ He rolled to the side, retrieving his weapon. He watched her finish her move and retaliated as quickly as possible.

'_Beautiful Fates!'_ Sain grinned as he remembered the technique he had developed himself. It wasn't that refined at the moment, but soon, soon it would represent the glory of those beautiful girls that had appeared in his life. He faked left, and then swung his sword at Karla's right, catching her off guard and knocking her to the ground. As she landed, Sain pulled out a small, red rose out of his sword belt and tossed it at her, smiling.

"For you, o beautiful goddess…For even a goddess needs her flower." Sain grinned.

Karla flushed slightly and felt the petals on the rose tenderly. "Oh…Thank you…" She placed it to the side. "I don't want to get it…ruined."

"So…Do you want to stop?" Sain asked, breathing heavily.

"No…There's just one more technique I want to try out." Karla positioned her sword in front of her.

"Very well…Phew, this is a lot tougher than I though!" Sain smiled again and brought his sword up as well.

Karla breathed deeply, focusing herself on the task at hand. _'Hizashi!'_ She jumped into the air, flipping herself in an astounding array of acrobatics while retaining hold of her sword. Sain watched her, amazed at her skill, and, to himself, glorying at the occasional shots where gravity and momentum worked in his favor and showed him small shots of her underwear.

But he quickly shrugged at aside and brought his sword up for another defense. Karla sprung one last time before bringing her sword down. Sain anticipated the move and deflected the blow. When she landed, Karla charged forward, angling for a quick thrust aimed at Sain's stomach. As she attacked, Sain moved to the side, grabbing the blade of Karla's sword and dragging her into his arms.

Sain smiled and stared at the stunned sword mistress in front of him. "You know…Sometimes too much training is unhealthy for the body. I really wouldn't want that. Would you, my midnight goddess?"

Karla flushed as she tried to find a way to escape Sain's grip. But before she could answer, Sain dived down and kissed her square on the lips.

* * *

Chris: Well, there it is! And no, this is not the only chapter. Since there are no Sain/Karla fics out there…This one is gonna be multi-chaptered! So what you have seen is only the first part! There's more Sain/Karla romance coming your way!

Oh, and if you're wondering where I got the names for Karla's attacks…

English - _Japanese_

Starlight - _Suta-Raito  
_Moonlight - _Tsukiakari_  
Sunlight -_ Hizashi_

Granted, I may be wrong cause I used one of those translate English into Japanese things…But either way, it looks cool and I don't regret using them one bit. I hope you enjoyed it and review please!

And yes, not all the chapters have to do with them sparring. I wouldn't be able to come up with enough techniques for that. So yes, all those are originals, except for Starlight, which is based off the Swordmaster critical and the Astra ability in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.


	3. Chapter 3: The Sword Mistress, Part 2

Chris: I'm finally back with another chapter! Hope you like it!

**RLnaruhina: **Glad you like it so much, and don't worry about the finish time for the contest. I'll have a lot of leeway cause there's only like….three people in it right now. So yeah, don't worry about it. And just so you know I read it, it's about the Karel/Dart supports and Karel just chopped off a guy's hand. Nice so far, I'll review when it's finished.

**Dairokkan: **Well, you'll see. You might find things a little different from what you're expecting.

**Mullenium Master: **Glad you liked it.

**Aqua Solider (x2): **Bah, Sain isn't atrocious…He's just…overly courteous. Yeah. That sounds a lot better than a perverted womanizer. Yeah. Sain is just overly courteous. And thanks for the compliments!

**Nightmare3: **This isn't soon…But here's the update! And yes, I did read your fic (I'm doing a mini-review for all entrants here.) and so far, it's fine…And I features Raven and Karel. Two…wait…Yeah, two fics about Karel. Strange. Anyway, your structuring is getting a lot better but you still have minor spelling and grammatical errors. Nothing to be worried about.

**Draknal: **Glad you liked it and here's the next chapter just for you! And everyone else who reviewed! And Karla is awesome. Although she sucks in the game.

**danyelldmd: **Thanks for the compliments…And I'll think of something for the Sain x Nino one.

**Min the Noodle (x2): **You're back! And you haven't updated/posted anything! Tsk, tsk. Anyway, glad you liked both of the chapters and I hope you like this one as well! Oooh, and join the fic-contest! Rules are in my profile…cause I need more entrants! Grading three is like flipping a coin…It's really not that fun.

**JSB: **Well, glad you entered and since I'm doing this with all of the entrants, I might as well overview my thoughts about your fic here. One, it's a very original idea. Not many fics about Nils out there. And the flute idea was very nice. No other comments at the moment, but I'll be waiting for an update.

Disclaimer: I do _not_ have the ability to drain your souls through my stories and use them to power my mind-control device. In fact, I don't even have a mind control device. So your souls will remain safe until I obtain one.

Also, don't own Fire Emblem. And if you believe I _can_ suck our your soul…I will laugh at you. Like this. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Sword Mistress, Part 2**

Karla struggled out of Sain's grip, flushing deeply and giving the cavalier a wounded glance. "Sain! That was entirely inappropriate!" The black-haired girl's face was flushed with blood and she was panting slightly. "I can't believe you did that!"

"I'm sorry, my beautiful flower." Sain said remorsefully. "Still…Looking like that, I couldn't resist." He smiled gamely. "I hope I was not too forward."

"Ah…I…Uh…" Karla stuttered, running through her mind for various reactions to his honest statement. Something akin to a multiple choice test suddenly popped into her head. Choice number one was to be like her brother Karel and chop the insolent cavalier into pieces. Choice number two was to just walk away and never speak to him again. Choice number three was to forgive him and not let this incident faze her. And her final choice was for her to fall for Sain's lines and kiss him back. Almost as reflex, she discarded choices one and four. They were the extremes, and she wasn't an extreme girl.

Luckily for Sain, and maybe Karla, she chose to mark number three as her choice. Clearing her throat slightly, she calmed down and looked Sain in the eye. "It's okay…But please, don't do that again. I do not harbor those types of feelings for you…at the moment."

Sain smiled briefly at the mention of the last words. He knew that there was still a chance because Karla had just left one door to her heard open. "I am truly sorry, oh goddess of war! Next time, I will be certain to contain the love I carry in my heart for you!" He bowed regally.

Karla stifled a small giggle. Sain certainly was strange. She wondered how her brother would react if he saw this. _'Karel would probably just shrug and call him a worthless nuisance and leave…All he cares for is power…I wonder where he is…'_ Karla's thoughts brought her mind back to the main reason why she was here. She was still searching for her brother, and ever since she joined, which was a day ago, she hadn't seen any sign of her demonic brother.

"So, if we are finished, milady, is there another way that I may assist you?" Sain asked, grinning cheekily. He ran a hand across his brow, wiping the sweat off of his headband. Karla thought for a bit before shrugging mentally. It really couldn't hurt to ask if Sain had seen her brother anywhere.

"Um…The brother I am searching for. His name is Karel. Have you seen him anywhere?" Karla asked skeptically, believing that the cavalier would have no knowledge of her long-haired brother.

Sain paled slightly. "Karel? Does….Does he have long hair?"

"Yes, he does." Karla nodded, a tiny spark of hope igniting in her heart.

"…Is he a master of the sword and does he like killing people?"

"Yes, yes!" Karla nodded again, this time more vigorously. Apparently, they _did_ have news about him!

"And is your brother a demonic entity who likes to eat the souls of the dead?"

"Of course not!" Karla said angrily, softening her tone when she realized that Sain was just joking. The cavalier let out a shaky laugh.

"Yeah, Karel's in this army. Heh heh…" Sain rubbed the back of his head. "Funny story about we met, really. Your brother is quite excitable…Kept going on how we weren't strong enough to sate his lust for fighting. Not the most sociable of creatures."

"Yep, that's my brother." Karla stifled a small laugh, enjoying the way Sain described Karel. "So, can you tell me where he is?"

"Sure, why not?" Sain motioned towards a spot farther away from the camp. "I believe he should be there, training with his new apprentice. But last time I interrupted him, he threatened to kill me and drink my blood. I listened to him. But for you, beautiful rose, I shall go to the depths of hell itself for you!" He gently took Karla's hand and the sword-wielding woman didn't do anything to stop him.

_---_

"Focus!" Karel roared angrily as he slammed his sword against Guy's. "You will never be strong enough to fight me if you can't focus!" The brown-black haired swordmaster suddenly zipped to the side, catching Guy off guard. "You are still too weak!" He swung, but Guy was quick enough to turn the attack aside.

"I will win, Master!" Guy returned and he went on the offensive. Diving low, he slashed at Karel's feet, but the swordmaster only jumped backwards and brought his sword down. Guy rolled to the side and kicked himself upwards, landing behind Karel. The Sword Demon smiled grimly and thrust with his sword. Guy sidestepped and avoided the direct attack and launched one of the combinations that his master had taught him.

'_Fukutsu!'_ Guy struck with a flurry of swift strikes, not getting discouraged as each blow was deflected. In fact, as each of his hits was parried, they steadily grew stronger until he was able to break past Karel's guard and hit the swordmaster in the neck with his wooden sword.

Karel grinned, licking his lips and anticipating the time when he could revel in the feeling of true battle against his student. "Good offense! However, you still cannot focus! Defend, now!" Guy's teacher moved swiftly, disappearing from the ponytailed-boy's vision.

Guy looked around wildly, unsure of where Karel would strike next. Remembering what his master had taught him, the green-haired boy closed his eyes and used his other senses to detect Karel. For while the eyes were controlled by the light, his other senses were open to all changes around him. _'Left of me!'_ He swung and blocked the sword aimed for his side. His foe suddenly disappeared again and Guy focused his energy again. _'Behind me!'_ Guy spun but was unable to react in time, feeling the hard wood of his master's blade pound against his stomach.

Guy was lifted into the air and he fell a small ways away, coughing. He struggled upwards, feeling his sore stomach. He looked up lamely, seeing his master stare at him. Guy slowly lifted his sword, ignoring the pain and readying himself for the rest of his training. Karel slid forward to attack when he heard someone cry his name.

"Karel! Is that you?" Karla's sweet voice filtered through the training grounds and Karel paused, looking unfazed.

"…Hello sister…" Karel nodded slightly. He looked at the sword that Karla wore at her waist. "I see you've improved."

Karla folded her arms and grimaced. "I have. All so I could finally get to you."

"Why, dear sister?" Karel said mockingly. He never considered any of his family members dear to him.

"Why?" Karla smiled slightly. "Because you're my brother. Because I wanted you back. Because I felt I had to."

Sain looked between the two siblings, not wanting to interfere. From the looks of things, this wasn't going to be the happy reunion that he had envisioned earlier. Guy jogged up next to him, looking curiously at the newcomer.

"Hey, who's she?" Guy pointed at Karla.

"Karla's the new person in our group, my friend. That beautiful flower joined so that she might finally be reunited with her brother!" Sain said dramatically. "Of course, it doesn't look like it's going so well…"

"I agree." Guy nodded slowly, watching the two. "Think she'll teach me sword fighting?"

Sain shrugged. "I don't truthfully know. My beauteous Karla does not seem to enjoy the fighting arts." He grinned slightly. "Even though she is quite good at it." Guy only nodded.

"So, sister…Do you truly believe you can bring me back?" Karel smiled wickedly, running his fingers across the edge of his wooden sword.

Karla stared at him for a while before looking at the ground. "No…I don't. But that won't stop me from trying!" She brought her sword up in front of her, holding the wood horizontally across her face.

"Even with this piece of junk, I could still kill you!" Karel laughed brazenly. "Do not throw away your life, sister! You still aren't strong enough to even touch me!"

Karla's anger flared and she narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that!" She cried as she attacked, holding her sword high above her head. Karel just smiled, threw his sword away and lay on the ground. Karla stopped, her anger kindling again.

"How dare you insult me!" Karla yelled angrily.

"No, no. How dare you insult _me_!" Karel returned, his eyes flashing. "I believe I have said that you could not scratch me with that toy and yet you presume that you can defeat me? That, my sister, is the ultimate insult!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Sain rushed in, namely to stop Karla from doing something stupid like attacking Karel and killing herself as well as the chivalric feeling of duty that he for his beloved to not get her hurt. _'Of course,' _Sain thought wryly, _'if Karel kills me, then that would ruin my plans. I wouldn't put it past him.'_

"What do you want?" Karel glared at Sain.

"Why are you interrupting me?" Karla yelled, her sword now pointed at the brown-haired cavalier.

'_Wrong move, Sain…I shouldn't have done that.'_ Sain raised his hand slightly, looking sheepish. "Pardon me, o beautiful mistress of the sword, but, you see…Um…I really don't know what's going on here, and I would really like it if you didn't get hurt. It would mar your lovely figure."

"Sain, what are you jabbering about now?" Karla said in exasperation. She was growing tired of his incessant compliments and chattering. She had a score to settle with her brother and she wasn't going to let anyone, even a romantic knight, get in her way.

"Yes, Sain...Did you decide you want to die?" Karel's eyes narrowed. "You have no chance against me."

"Uh…I kind of figured that." Sain chuckled. "Anyway, Karla…Can I talk to you for a moment?" He looked at Guy, who was trying to listen in on their conversation. "_Alone?"_

"Sure, but make it quick!" Karla snapped as she allowed the cavalier to lead her far away from her brother. "What do you want?"

"Listen, Karla…I told you I don't know everything that's happening…But I don't know if it's worth throwing your life away. I have seen Karel fight. No offense to you or your lovely skills, but he is out of our league. Out of almost everyone's league." Sain looked at Karla pleadingly. "Please…Listen Karla. All compliments aside, all those words aside…And I would still say the same thing. You truly are beautiful. You're a goddess. I don't want to see you throw away your life and your beauty just for vengeance."

"…" Karla looked at Sain, and then back to her brother. "I don't know…"

"Please, Karla…For me?" Sain smiled his trademark smile, which had the uncanny ability to charm almost every girl in sight. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"…" Karla dropped her sword. "Fine, I'll listen to you…For now."

"All right!" Sain smiled widely. Now that the serious part of over, the cavalier kissed Karla's soft, pale skin. "O delicate and fragile flower, how joyous I am to see that you have accepted my advice!"

"Sain!" Karla said, trying to stifle laughter. "P-Please stop! You're embarrassing me!"

"Am I?" Sain looked up, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Well then…I guess I'll just have to do something to make you love me instead." He softly pulled the young woman closer to him. "I really would hate to see you give everything up for the past…" Gently, slowly, softly, the cavalier planted another kiss on the sword mistress' lips. And this time, she didn't resist.

* * *

Chris: Aww….How sweet! Ahem, anyway…While this does seem like a nice way to end it…There's still one more chapter. Why? Cause technically, I've never really explained if Karla is actually in love with Sain. Cause, so far it's just been a day. A day is too quick for love, man. Remember, Karla just joined yesterday in this fic.

Hope you enjoyed it and review please!

P.S. - If you haven't noticed, once again, I used Japanese for the sword moves. I _was_ going to use Korean, because Guy is from a different tribe than Karel (different tribe, different techniques), but since I couldn't find a good one, I settled for Japanese. Eh, at least I changed the name of the move to fit the character.

English - _Japanese_

Fortitude - _Fukutsu _


	4. Chapter 4: The Sword Mistress, Part 3

Chris: Well, I'm back. -listens for applause- Thank you, thank you!

Farina: There wasn't any applause.

Chris: I know that! But that doesn't mean I can't bow to non-existent applause! Anyway, thank you all for reviewing and I'd like to address your concerns, but I am unable to due to the new rules enforced by this site! So, on with the fic!

Note: Oh, and Min? Yeah, you can. Sigh…Hopefully it'll be short though. Cause frankly, all my contestants only have one chapter out and it's been a month. So…I dunno, maybe I'll make it last a half-year. Oh, and don't forget, limit is 10 chapters and 4-5 chapters is ideal for the contest. And if still don't finish after a half year, I'm gonna start bugging you guys in reviews.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Sword Mistress, Part 3**

"I don't like this."

"Karel, you don't like anything." Mark, the ever-so-generic tactician walked up, his arms folded within his voluminous green robes. "I thought you didn't care for your sister."

"And am I to assume that you don't care for your life?" Karel retorted, his hand on the hilt of his katana. "Don't press me any more, tactician."

"Fine, fine! Just seeing what was wrong." Mark shrugged helplessly and walked away, presumably to help with the army plans. Because unlike some other tacticians that shall not be named, he actually did something to help move the army along.

Karel turned and watched the brown haired tactician stroll away. He grimaced and the grip on the hilt of his sword tightened. _'That brown hair…Reminds me of Sain…Grr…That weakling…'_ The long-haired swordmaster had only recently learned of the romance between his sister and that womanizing incompetent. At first, it didn't faze him. After all, he couldn't care less what his sister did. After all, she was weak compared to him and in all matters, so was her stupid boyfriend.

But now, for some strange, inexplicable reason, this romance was bothering him. Irking him, to borrow a phrase from the often-irked sage, Erk. Karel didn't know why and that only served to bother him further. It was starting to effect his fighting too, and more often than not, his apprentice would be the one besting him in their duels. Of course, it was then that he snapped out of his daze and beat the stuffing out of Guy, but the point was that it was effecting his fighting. And that was never a good thing. He decided to go to the only other male member of the group that had a sister, Raven.

He found the red-haired swordsman slashing the branches off of a tree. Apparently, Raven had no one to train against. The swordsman turned and frowned when he saw Karel. "What do you want?"

'_Straight to the point.'_ Karel thought. "You have a sister, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Raven grumbled, breaking off another branch. "Why do you care about her? She's already got me."

"No, not that." Karel said angrily, rage starting to well up in him again. He restrained himself, reasoning that Raven would not be able to give him advice if he was chopped up into a thousand different pieces. "My sister is acting weird and I thought you would know why."

"You? Coming to me for advice?" One of Raven's eyebrows lifted.

"Yes…Yes, I am. I need your advice….please." Karel spat out the last word.

Raven's other eyebrow lifted and he looked at Karel in surprise. "Karel saying please? That's new. I thought I had seen it all."

"Stop trying my patience before I kill you!" Karel warned as his hand twitched on the hilt of his sword. "Just shut up and help me!"

Raven held his sword loosely in his hand, but Karel could see he was itching for a battle. It was then that Karel suddenly thought of an idea that would get rid of that annoying cavalier and keep his sister free from scum like him. Not like he cared, or anything, but it was the principle of it all. Gruffly spinning on his heel and leaving Raven, he searched for Sain, preparing to end his sister's romance one and for all.

Raven stared at Karel, looking at him strangely. "I wonder what he was thinking." Shrugging, he went back to his practice, only to remember that Guy had been acting a little too chummy around his sister. Immediately, he rushed to confront the myrmidon, with the intention of smacking his ass on the floor. Unbeknownst to him, Karel was headed to do the exact thing, only this time with Sain.

He spotted the cavalier chatting with his sister and he felt an unexplainable anger come over him. Shaking it off, he stomped up to the cavalier.

"Ah, Karel! What brings you here on this fine day?" Sain said cheerfully.

Karel's eyes twitched slightly. "Hello, Sain…" He said, his teeth clenched.

"Ah, I see that you seem a little perturbed!" Sain replied, his face cheerful but one of his hands reaching for his lance. He knew of Karel's reputation and he wasn't going to let his newfound happiness get out of the way. "Karla? Perhaps you could calm your brother down?"

Karla looked at her brother and sighed. "I'm sorry, Sain…But I don't think he'll listen to me." Nevertheless, she stood up, looking at her brother. "Please, Karel, but I hope that you won't do anything foolish."

Karel just glared at his sister before turning his attention back to Sain. "Stay away from my sister. You are not worthy of being with her."

"Karel! You have no say in this matter!" Karla shouted, a hand on her sword. "You never cared about me before, so why should you start now? Although it is a nice change, I would rather not have you messing with my personal life!"

Karel fixed his gaze on her, his eyes narrowed and blazing with anger. "Do not presume to give me orders! I do not care what happens to you! I only care that this piece of filth believes he is worthy enough of being with you!" He drew his blade. "Sain! I challenge you to battle! Or would you like it if I were to cut you down right now?"

"Karel! Stop this nonsense now!" Karla yelled, getting seriously angry with her brother. "Leave us alone!"

"It's okay, Karla." Sain smiled slightly, rising. "I…slightly understand the angle your brother is driving at. Do not worry your beautiful self over my part. I will just have to accept his challenge." Hefting his lance in his hand, he looked over Karel. "One condition. We fight with training weapons. It would do me no good to deprive my dear Karla of a brother, no matter how crazy he might be."

Karel's eyes widened. "You dare insult me? Prepare to die!" He attacked immediately, swinging his sword at Sain's unprotected neck.

Sain just smiled slightly as he brought up his lance to stop Karel's blow. "Like I said, training weapons or no fight whatsoever. I could manage to get you kicked out of this army. You are good, Karel, but you would not be able to stand against our entire might."

Karel spat on the ground. "Very well! I agree to your conditions! If I win, you stay away from Karla forever!"

"Agreed. And if I win, you leave us alone." Sain grinned at Karla. "I would like some time alone with my delightful lark of a girlfriend."

"Fine!" Karel threw his sword and hilt to the ground. "Training sword or no, I will smash you into a pulp and spit on your corpse!" He stalked off, steaming angrily.

"Sain, you shouldn't have done that." Karla said, looking at the brown-haired cavalier disapprovingly. "You know how my brother gets. I wouldn't…want to lose you…"

Sain laughed. "Hah, don't worry about that. I'm a lot tougher than what your brother things." He winked and pecked her on the cheek. "I'm sure you found that out when we practiced, right?"

Karla blushed slightly and pushed Sain away. "Just be careful, okay?"

"If my princess desires it, so it shall be!" Sain said dramatically. "Do not worry! I will return to your side, even if I was pierced with thousands of arrows!"

"I'd prefer it if you returned without the arrows." Karla smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I can't stop you."

Sain smiled, although his expression was serious. "I'm sorry, Karla, but I need to do this. Your brother isn't going to leave us alone unless I do."

"I know…" Karla brushed back some of her midnight-black hair. "Karel, why do you have to do such stupid things?" She sighed dismally. "I want to go with you."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea…" Sain whispered.

"I'm going whether you think it's a good idea or not." Karla said, her hands on her hips. "I don't want to lose you. At least let me be there to cheer you on."

Sain laughed. "Very well! I could always use a fantastic cheerleader like you!" He put his arm around Karla's shoulder. "One kiss for good luck?"

Karla sighed and shook her head. "You always find a way…" However, she turned to Sain and kissed him passionately on the lips. When she released him, Sain was smiling broadly.

"After something like that, I _can't _lose!" Sain said, his eyes twinkling.

"Hmph, I still don't know why I agreed to be your girlfriend." Karla huffed and hit him lightly. "Come on, Casanova. Let's go."

"At once, beautiful lady!" Sain said as he followed Karla, a smile still at his lips.

_---_

"You're finally here!" Karel raged, throwing a practice lance at Sain. "Get ready!"

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" Sain cried, holding his lance up in front of him. "Sheesh, don't be so impatient!"

Karel snapped. Yelling angrily, he charged at Sain, swinging his wooden sword straight at Sain's arm, intending to render it useless. Sain sidestepped, and not a moment too soon, as Karel's sword flew right through the place his arm had been before. The long-haired swordmaster turned and lunged at Sain, his eyes alight with battle lust. His mouth twisted in a feral grin, he swung his sword swiftly at Sain's neck.

Sain brought his lance to deflect the blow, sweating slightly. _'Damn, that was close!' _Karel was faster than he was and the swordmaster knew it. It wouldn't be long before Karel regained his senses and used his speed to his advantage. Hoping to avoid such a circumstance, Sain moved to the offense, stabbing forward with his lance. Unfortunately, because of the heavy manner of the blow, he missed and Karel took advantage of Sain's opening, swinging his sword at Sain's ribcage.

The sword collided with Sain's armor, causing a small dent in the metal armor and knocking Sain to the floor. The cavalier rolled up, not seriously hurt. _'Oh boy…I hope I'm not over my head here.'_ Karel attacked again, another light attack whose power was absorbed by Sain's armor.

'_Rippuku!' _Karel screamed in his mind as he flew into a blur so fast that Sain wasn't able to tell where he would strike. He felt a heavy strike hit him from the back and he stumbled forward, coughing. Suddenly, a fist smacked him on the chin and he fell backwards, lifted into the air. Karel's sword slammed into his stomach and he landed on the ground heavily.

'_Urgh…'_ Sain pushed himself off of the ground painfully. _'That hurt…Even through my armor.'_ He felt his jaw. Didn't seem broken, so he reasoned it was okay for the time being. Sain looked up at Karel, who was smirking. _'But I can't lose!'_

Sain charged at Karel, who simply sidestepped. However, Sain was anticipating this and instead of just completing the thrust, he swung it like a quarterstaff, catching the surprised swordmaster in the side and bowling him over. Sain thumped the butt end of the lance on the ground, grinning triumphantly.

Karel only crouched, his eyes closed. _'Shinkirou!'_ He disappeared again, only to appear in front of Sain. The cavalier swung his lance to attack, but Karel's image faded again, only to show up at Sain's side. Sain swung again at Karel, only to find out that he had disappeared.

'_Dammit! Where is he?'_ Sain cursed in his mind, swinging at another image of Karel that had appeared behind him. Suddenly, Karel appeared above him and swung at Sain's unprotected head. Sain just barely dodged, but the wooden sword hit him on the left shoulder, knocking the cavalier on the ground.

The cavalier gasped as he felt a huge wave of pain flood through his left arm and he immediately knew that it would be useless in the fight. Groaning slightly, he picked himself up, holding his lance unsteadily with one hand.

"I'm impressed…No one has lasted this long against me." Karel remarked.

"Hah!" Sain coughed. "I'm a lot tougher than the other people you've fought!" He hefted his lance. "Let me show you!" The cavalier attacked again, swinging his lance one-handed at Karel's stomach. Karel, smirking, blocked it with his sword and pushed the lance away, attacking again. Sain smiled inwardly. Apparently, Karel didn't know that his attack wasn't over yet.

As Karel swung towards him, Sain ducked and let go of his lance, head butting Karel in the stomach. The swordmaster let out a strangled cough before plowing into the ground, coughing. Sain stood over him, smiling gamely.

"Had enough, Karel?" Sain stamped his foot on Karel's practice sword, which had flown out of the swordmaster's grip. "Think you can smash me into a bloody pulp now?"

"Grr…" Karel looked away. "No…"

"That's what I thought!" Sain crowed triumphantly, kicking the practice sword away. "So you can't bother me and Karla anymore!"

"Fine…" Karel pushed himself up. "But this isn't finished, Sain." He glared at the cavalier, who was nursing his left arm.

"Hah, I wouldn't doubt it in the least." Sain looked over at Karla, who wrapped him in a big hug. "Told you I would win, Karla. Don't doubt your stunning knight in shining armor!"

"I wouldn't doubt him. But what about my battered knight in dented armor?" Karla smirked slightly, brushing a spot of blood that was trickling down his lips.

"Hmm…I guess…" Sain grinned slightly. "But not too much. It would ruin my gallant image."

Karla smiled. "Very well. I guess I'll continue to trust you, my gallant knight."

* * *

Chris: As you can tell, this chapter has almost absolutely nothing to do with the romance itself. However, you get a fight between Karel and Sain and you get that answer to the question, "What the hell would Karel do if Sain was dating his sister?" If my explanation is not to your advantage, sorry.

And yes, I believe Sain would beat Karel. Sain has better defense and his lance would be Karel's sword. But that's just me. You are free to draw your own conclusions. Review please and I hope you enjoyed the Sain/Karla story!

English - _Japanese_

Rage - _Rippuku_  
Mirage - _Shinkirou_


	5. Chapter 5: Androphobia, Part 1

Chris: Now, without further ado, the next section of Life's Quest! This time with Florina, cause she's the first girl that I thought of a good title for! (Seriously. I just chose her cause I had a title in my head.)

Disclaimer: Don't own any copyrights whatsoever to Fire Emblem.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Androphobia, Part 1**

"Now, with my quest in full swing, I must find a most suitable bride!" Sain said to himself, striding proudly through the camp, his manner suggesting that he had ingested five-hundred cups of Lowen's coffee, which meant he was **_charged_**. Really charged. The brown-haired cavalier looked around for some girl to charm. _'The first girl to not brush me off is truly the one who accepts me and loves me! So therefore, she shall be the one I dedicate my life to!'_

"Ah, my fair Rebecca! How are you in this beautiful day?" Sain waved at the green-haired archer, who turned at the sound. Rebecca shuddered angrily and clenched her fist before stomping towards Sain and hitting him in the stomach.

"That was for peeking at me while I was sleeping!" Rebecca shouted before stalking away, her head high in the air.

"Ooooh…" Sain clenched his aching stomach, the cavalier's earlier enthusiasm beginning to die off. _'That wasn't fair. Lyn told me to go wake her. If she had just happened to wake while I was entering her tent, that was no fault of mine.'_

Throughout the morning, Sain's enthusiasm for his quest continued to dwindle, as every member of the opposite sex he had talked to had in some way or another, told him to leave them alone. He was beginning to lose any hope of success when he spotted Florina in front of him, whispering a soft song to her pegasus as she brushed him.

"Ah, lady Florina! It is truly a pleasure to be able to catch a glimpse of your exquisite loveliness at least once today!" The brown-haired cavalier walked up to Florina, who squeaked slightly.

"U-Uh…H-Hi Sain…" Florina shrunk against her pegasus, looking at him with a frightened expression. "H-How a-are y-y-you?"

'_Well…I guess that doesn't count as brushing me off. Although she's probably doing it out of courtesy and the fact that she is frightened half out of her wits.'_ Sain reasoned in his mind. _'The fates have decided! I have met my perfect match!'_

"U-Um…" Florina whispered, thinking that Sain was sick or something, since he had been standing still for a couple of minutes without doing anything. "A-Are you o-okay?"

Sain snapped out of his daze and redirected his attention back to the orchid-haired pegasus knight. "I am doing absolutely spectacularly now that I have seen you, o fragile blossom!"

"O-Oh…" Florina flushed and turned from Sain. "Uh…Um…T-Thanks…"

"My dear Florina, let me have the pleasure of your company for a nice, leisurely walk through the forest nearby!" Sain bowed and extended his hand out towards her, his eyes shining and his trademark grin on his face.

"I-I…" Florina looked at the cavalier, her heart beating so fast that she thought it would burst in her chest. She was visibly trembling from fright since, outside of battle; this has been the closest that any guy had ever come close to her. _'What should I say? I don't want to hurt his feelings…But he scares me…Lyn told me to be careful around him…'_ She took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves, only to find out she was so nervous that it wasn't working. "I-It…w-would be n-nice…"

Florina froze. _'Did I just say that?'_ She looked nervously at Sain, beginning to shake more than ever. _'Oh no…'_

"It fills my heart with joy to hear you say those simple words!" Sain proclaimed as he lightly kissed Florina's gloved hand, causing shivers to run up her arm and through her body. He grinned at her and bowed once again. "Shall we go right now?"

"N-Now?" Florina asked, extremely flustered and still suffering from some sort of distant cousin of the nervous breakdown. "U-Um…I-I don't k-know…"

"Well, then! I don't want to pressure you, my sweet dove, so I shall ask you later, after you have made up your mind!" Sain said cheerfully, before walking off, whistling a common marching tune known to the soldiers of Caelin. Florina watched him go for a while before collapsing in a faint, overwhelmed by the attention that Sain had given her.

_---_

"Florina? Florina?"

The light-purple haired pegasus knight squirmed at the voice and slowly peeked her eyes open. "Lyn? I-Is that you?" Florina shifted from where she was and found out that she was in the army's infirmary tent. "H-How did I get here?"

"I found you collapsed on the ground. Are you okay? You're not sick, are you?" Lyn looked at her childhood friend worriedly.

"N-No, I'm fine. I was just a l-little…overwhelmed…" Florina whispered, blinking her shining blue eyes. "There's nothing wrong."

"Overwhelmed? By what?" Lyn asked, slightly confused. "We haven't had a battle for a long time and there hasn't been any bad news coming from Lycia." The princess of Caelin thought for a while before frowning. "It wasn't Sain, was it? I swear, that idiot has been walking all around camp trying to hit on _everyone!_"

"U-Um…It was…" Florina nodded slowly. "B-But please don't be too angry with him…H-He was kind of n-nice…"

"Florina!" Lyn looked at her friend, amazed. "You thought Sain was _nice_! I thought he was an annoying asshole!" She scratched her hair before looking at Florina again. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

Florina shook her head vigorously. "I'm not sick, Lyn. S-Sure, he was k-kind of strange…B-But I've gotten used to him…"

"Hmm…Who am I to say where the spirits lead you?" Lyn shook her head. "Are you _sure_ you don't find him the least bit repulsive?"

"N-No…Not at all…" Florina replied, shaking her head again. "H-He doesn't b-bother me that much…b-because he knows I don't feel comfortable around m-men…"

"Hmmm…One of the few decent things I've heard him do." Lyn mused, smiling. "Just kidding. Anyway, you get better Florina. I don't want you fainting again. And if Sain ever bothers you, well, call on me and I'll put him in his place." She patted Florina on the head before leaving.

"O bountiful sorrows, what misfortune has befallen the oh so lovely Florina!"

"She was just in a faint, Sain. No need to go into dramatics."

"So I see, Lyn! Can I go and talk to her?"

"Fine. But do anything bad and it won't look good for you. I suspect you wouldn't be so cocky with a bleeding nose."

"Your warning is appreciated and taken with its worth of caution!"

Florina cocked her head to the side, wondering what the two of them were doing. After a couple of moments, Sain pushed aside the tent flap and sat next to Florina, wearing his usual smile.

Sain gave her a little wave. "I'm truly sorry that I caused you to faint, sweet Florina. It was a mistake on my part and I hope it doesn't happen again." He ran a hand through his thick, brown hair and frowned slightly.

"N-No! I-It's o-okay! R-Really!" Florina protested, feeling the usual mix of emotions whenever a man came to talk to her. There, of course, was the hefty dash of nervousness combined with a smaller dose of self-consciousness and low self-esteem. The next part was unique to all people. Whenever she was speaking to Mark, the tactician, for instance, there was a nice addition of respect and duty. With Sain, however, there was even a bigger dose of nervousness, since she had heard how the cavalier was around women. There were a couple of more things that she felt that were common enough when dealing with someone like him, but there was just one emotion she could figure out. Florina decided to deal with that later.

"Well, if you say it's fine…Then thank you for your understanding, my fragile flower!" Sain bowed in his seat and daintily kissed her on the hand, causing a blush to rise to her face. "I certainly can't ask you out, especially after that fright that you had, so perhaps we shall depart on our walk later! Farewell!" He leaped up and strode out of the door. "Ah Kent! Boon companion! I seem to have misplaced by money bag! Perhaps you could lend me a couple hundred gold so I can go get another one from town!"

Florina smiled slightly at the cavalier's antics before closing her eyes. The orchid-haired pegasus knight shifted in her cot again before falling into a deep sleep.

_---_

"_Where am I?"_

"_This is a dream sequence specifically put here to show you the inner recesses of your soul." An otherworldly voice answered her._

"_Ulp…U-Um…Can w-we just skip this?"_

"_Sorry, no. I've got to ramble on for around 15 minutes, so you're stuck with me. I've got a job to do."_

"_F-Fine…If you say so…"_

"_I do say so." The voice replied. "Now, let's look at your life so far." There was a small pause before it showed a scene of a snow-covered house. The vision moved inside the house and it pictured three young girls of varying ages. The oldest girl, one with teal hair that fell to the bottom of her neck, was busy instructing the other two on the principles of lance usage atop a pegasus._

"_Aw, come on, Sis! I already know this stuff!" The second-oldest girl pouted and folded her arms. "I'm already part of a pegasus wing, remember?"_

"_And that's why you need to review these things! I don't want to see you killed just because you forgot about the special intricacies about flying in the sky!" The teal-haired girl returned her sister's glare. "Farina! Listen up!"_

"_What is there to fighting? Aim, charge, poke! Come on! It's pretty simple, Fiora!" Farina retorted. _

"_As you can see, those are your two sisters." The otherworldly voice said. "This is an important point in your childhood, because it practically made you into the girl you are today."_

"_Um…Sisters?" The youngest, a cute girl with purple curls, whispered. "Sisters?" She raised her voice slightly, but Fiora and Farina were still too busy arguing to hear here. "Umm…"_

"_And that's why I had to bail you out last time, Farina! If you had just paid attention, then maybe you wouldn't have been in trouble!"_

"_You can just stuff it, Sis! I'm tired of you saying that you're better than I am!"_

"_That's because I **am**!"_

"_Um…E-Excuse me…"_

"_What is it, Florina!" Farina looked at her youngest sister, looking angry._

_Florina shrank back from the angry glare of her older sister and timidly shook her head. "I-It's nothing…"_

"_Sheesh, then why'd you interrupt me?" Farina shook her head before returning with her argument with Fiora._

_The scene paused and the voice returned. "You see? This is the first stepping stone. The loneliness you felt when your sisters ignored you, coupled with the fact that when one of them did notice, she bit your head off, all add up to why you were and still are a shy girl. Now, shall we look at why you're afraid of men?"_

"_N-No! T-That's okay! P-Please…I-I don't want t-to see it!"_

"_Are you suuuuuure?"_

"_Yes, I'm sure!"_

"_Very well then. Maybe some other time…"_

_  
---_

Florina woke up in a cold sweat, panting slightly. She looked around the darkness and found out that it was already night. Florina pushed herself up on the cot and heard soft sounds echoing from her side. Quickly turning with fright, she found that it was just Serra, who had fallen asleep at her desk.

'_Phew…It was just some dream…'_ Florina thought to herself before shaking her head rapidly to shake any drowsiness away from her head. Unfortunately, this only made her dizzy and she had to steady herself for a couple of moments before being able to stand. Since she was completely, well, mostly rested, she decided to just take a walk outside to calm her nerves.

Florina turned away from the light that signified a guard watch and instead walked into a secluded part of the camp, one that was close to a hill that overlooked the valley bellow. Sighing slightly to herself, she plopped herself down and brought her knees up to her chin. _'Ah…It's nice and peaceful here…'_

However, just as she was ready to go back to her tent to sleep, a haunting melody came drifting towards her. Curious, she followed the sound of the music, listening for the hidden subtleties inside of the music. On the outside, it was deep and sorrowful, chock full of emotions and stories of lost loves. However, somewhere within the sorrow was a small ring that spoke of victory and success in the face of tall odds. Florina grabbed a hold of this strand of music and followed it to its source.

"S-Sain!" Florina couldn't stop herself in time and immediately searched for a hiding place. But to no avail, for there were in a grassy plain and there were no suitable places that she would be able to hide in well enough.

"Wha?" The brown haired cavalier turned around from his position on the grass, clearly surprised at the interruption. He placed his wooden flute onto the ground and the fire in front of him showed a hint of a smile on his lips. "Florina? Is that you, o mistress of the flying horse?"

"A-Ah…U-Uh…P-Please don't c-call H-Huey a f-flying horse…"

"My mistake." Sain grinned. "So, what brings you here to the glorious scene that can only be achieved in the darkest of nights? Come to hear a lonely troubadour share with you his tales of woe? Or perhaps to comfort a questing cavalier?"

"U-Um…N-No…" Florina stuttered.

"My loss." Sain said whimsically, shrugging. "Anyway, what's the real reason why you're here?"

"I-I just h-heard your m-music…U-Um…I-I'm sorry…" Florina bowed quickly, feeling the heat rush up to her face when she realized how pathetic she sounded.

Sain's eyes sparkled. "No, there is no need for a beauty like you to apologize! It ruins your fantastic looks and Elimine knows I don't want that." He plopped himself back onto the grass and motioned for her to join him. "I don't you really don't like hanging around guys…Heck, I'm not exactly fond of that myself. But perhaps you'd like to join me?"

"U-Um…I-I'm sorry…B-But I've got t-to go…" Florina bowed again before departing quickly, not willing to look at Sain as she left.

"Hmmm…" Sain watched her go and decided to not bother going after her. It seemed that she didn't exactly like him enough to spend more than a couple of minutes in his company. Or maybe it was just because she didn't like guys. "Well, next time I'll see if I can win her heart."

He lay back on the grass and put the flute to his lips again, once again blowing out the tale of his love and his life.

* * *

Chris: Ahem…Sorry for the long wait. I've just had other things on my "Stories To Do" list…so yeah. I'll try to pick this one up, but I can't give guarantees. I still have a lot of other things to finish, but I assure you that this will be updated as quickly as possible.

I hope you enjoyed it and review please!

P.S. Androphobia is the fear of men. Yeah.


End file.
